


Sentence Starters

by broccococcoli



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship, Sick Character, emetophobia trigger warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-12-26 14:36:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18284282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broccococcoli/pseuds/broccococcoli
Summary: Some snippets based on sentence starters sent to me by my followers on tumblr.





	1. You've got a fever, of course I'm not going anywhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've got a fever, of course I'm not going anywhere
> 
> Context: post-game, Arcade and Ace are married and Ace started going by his normal first name, Harlow, again.

Harlow sort of expected this to happen. His husband was a doctor, after all, what else would he do besides dote on him while he was sick? Harlow was addament about his ability to care for himself. More than a decade alone wondering the wastes makes you stubbornly self reliant, but Arcade was having none of it. 

“You don’t have to spend every waking moment by my side, Arcade,” Harlow insisted. “I’ll be fine, you probably have other patients to work with who have more serious problems than the stomach flu.” 

“You’ve got a fever, of course I’m not going anywhere,” Arcade said. He patted his forehead with a wet towel to help cool him down. “There are plenty of doctors here at the fort to handle everyone else. I’m sure if they needed me, they would come get me.” 

Harlow groaned in frustration. He let his head fall back against the pillow. “You’re infuriating,” he said. 

“I’m a doctor, what else do you expect me to do?” Arcade said with a laugh. 

Harlow rolled his eyes, then suddenly felt violently nauseous. “Bucket,” he barked urgently. Within a second, there was a bucket in his lap and he was heaving into it. Arcade pulled his hair back in a makeshift pony tail with his hand and held it there until Harlow was done. Eventually Harlow stopped heaving and breathed heavily into the bucket. 

“You done?” Arcade asked. 

Harlow nodded and Arcade pulled the bucket away. He grabbed a clean towel and wiped the corner of Harlow’s mouth, then went to smooth back his dark brown hair. Harlow subconciously leaned into his hand. 

A part of him really liked being taken care of- he always had to fend for himself and he couldn’t remember the last time he had someone to help him when he was sick, so this was honestly a really nice change of pace. Especially since it was Arcade who was doting on him. He really couldn’t pick a better person to take care of him than his own husband. 

“Hey, Arcade?”

“Hm?”

“Thank you, I love you.”

“I love you, too.”


	2. I always sleep better with you around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I always sleep better with you around. 
> 
> Context: post-game, Boone and Ace went back to Novac and settled down there, Boone took back up his job guarding the town at night.

The room was dark and quiet. It was the early hours of the morning and Ace was wide awake. He couldn’t sleep all night, and basically resigned himself to reading on the couch. His eyes were tired and he wanted to go bed, but he was too wrapped up in the story to put it down yet. He didn’t realize how early in the morning it was until Boone opeed the door.

“Have you been awake all night?” he asked, closing the door behind him. 

Ace sighed. “Yeah,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep.” 

“You really shouldn’t stay up this late,” Boone said. “It’s not good for you.”

“That’s rich coming from you, Mister Night Shift,” Ace said with a scoff. 

Boone gave a little grin and huffed a laugh. “Fair enough.” He took the rifle off his back and rested it against the wall behind the door. He went about kicking off his shoes and pulling of his pants when he said, “You really should get some sleep.” 

Ace closed his book and placed it on the end table near by. He then got up and moved over to the bed, dramatically dropping backwards onto it and waiting for Boone to come over and lay next to him. Boone, having shed all his clothes save for his boxers, did just that. He pulled Ace into his arms and tugged the thin blanket over the both of them. Ace snuggled in close to him and gave him a kiss on the corner of his mouth. 

“You gonna be able to sleep?” Boone asked. 

“Of course,” Ace answered. “I always sleep better with you around.”


	3. You Asleep?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You asleep?" 
> 
> Context: pre-relationship, pre-For Auld Lang Sign, Ace and Arcade are still traveling together, mutual pining galore

Night had fallen and the stars twinkled above them in the sky, casting soft light along with the full moon. Crickets chirped near by and the wind blew gently, casting embers from the coals of their camp fire into the air. Arcade laid on a bedroll near by and Ace sat with his Lazer rifle in his hands, taking the first shift watching for raiders or cazadors as Arcade tried to sleep. God, was he bored.

"Hey, Arcade," he whispered. "You asleep?"

"No," Arcade said. He sat up in his bedroll and looked at Ace. "I can't sleep."

"What's wrong?" Ace asked. "You got that, uh- insomnia thing? I think I remember you mentioning it before."

"Nah, I'm just a little restless," Arcade said with a sigh.

"Oh. Something on your mind?"

Arcade thought for a moment. He couldn't really possibly tell Ace about his past. It wasn't really safe for him to do that. Ace was technically NCR after all, it's not like he could really 100% trust him yet. Part of him wanted to trust Ace, give up everything he'd been keeping locked up. He liked Ace a lot, but that wasn't really enough.

"No," Arcade said. "Just not tired, I guess."

"Ah," Ace said. "Well, we can switch if you want. I can lay down and you can keep watch til you feel tired enough."

"Yeah, I guess."

Neither of them moved for a few moments, but sat in silence instead. The camp fire coals still burned dimly, crackling every once in a while and sending a small but steady stream of smoke into the night sky. They both watched the embers float up and up until they disappeared.

Ace stole a glance at Arcade. His face was missing his glasses and his blonde hair was slightly tossled and messy. He was really handsome in the moonlight like this, and Ace couldn't help but stare. When Arcade turned to look at him, he quickly shifted his eyes downward toward the coals, embarrassed that he might have been caught staring.

"Get some sleep," Arcade said.

Ace followed the order and laid back on his bed roll. He didn't fall asleep until his heart stopped pounding.


	4. When You Laugh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you laugh like that it just- you’re so beautiful you know that?
> 
> Context: Post-game, Harlow and Arcade are married and all that good shit.

Arcade didn’t fancy himself a “hopeless romantic”. Romance wasn’t something he really had room for in his life, because it always seemed like he was on the run from someone or something. He could ever stay in one place for too long out of fear, which is why he travelled with the Followers. He could help people with settling down.

Things changed after Hoover Dam. Ace- Harlow convinced him to stay in the Mojave. He probably would have moved on if not for Harlow. And when it came to Harlow, he absolutely was hopeless. In romantic ways and otherwise.

“Lovers make poor confidants,” he once said, but he could hardly call Harlow a lover. He felt like something more to Arcade. He would go as far to even say they were soul mates, had he believed in such a thing. He found himself infatuated with so many of the small things Harlow did- the way he smiled, the way he curled up against him when they slept, the way he cooed at Rex and ED-E, the way he stuck his tongue out when he was concentrating. But he loved Harlow’s laugh the most. It was loud and almost a cackle at times, but he loved it all the same and he loved how hard he laughs. Harlow loved to laugh.

“When you laugh like that it just- you’re so beautiful you know that?” 

The moment those words left his lips, Harlow’s face immediately flushed red. He grinned nervously and said, “No, I’m not. My laugh is annoying and stupid.”

“Oh, c’mon, yes you are,” Arcade said. He pulled Harlow closer, holding him against his chest. “You’re laugh is one of my favorite sounds.” 

“God, you’re such a sap,” Harlow said. “When did you get so sentimental?”

“When I first met you.” Arcade kissed Harlow’s cheeck. “You have that affect on me.”


End file.
